Hail to the Queen (Witch For Hire 2)

“It’s her.” Sacha nods her head toward the slender woman with olive skin, dark hair, and a simple black dress. Seated in a red fold-out chair, she blends in with the others pedaling their wares. There’s no fanfare, only a beautifully drawn chalkboard with a gypsy woman inside a crystal ball, and her prices.

She smiles and waves us over. Her golden bangles click together. Romani.

“Come on. This’ll be fun.” She drags me the three feet to the woman.

Doesn’t she know fate and me are on the outs due to her heavy-handed treatment of my life?

“Hello, my friends. My name is Sabrina. The spirits are anxious to speak with you tonight.”

“How much?” I ask.

“For Louella Esçhete and Sacha Morel, free of charge.”

“Job perks,” Sacha crows.

She flashes a rakish grin full of mischief and knowledge. Clairvoyants have always been a bit spooky to me. They possess a disarming quality. Because not only do they look at you like they see inside your soul, there’s a huge possibility they just might.

Sacha lowers herself into the chair first, and I sit beside her. “What kind of reading would you like?”

“I’ll let you pick,” Sacha says with a shrug.

“You like to go with the flow. Continue that habit. It will take you to places you’ve never dreamed of being before.” She pulls a worn but well-cared for set of cards from a black velvet pouch. The rectangular objects radiate a power all their own.

“These have been in my family for centuries, and they always read true. I use them for my most special clients.” She winks. Slightly faded and dappled around the edges, the beige cards have thinned over time. I hold my breath as she moves the stack forward over her black velvet table cover.

Sacha sucks in her breath when she touches the card.

“They’re saying hello,” Sabrina says. “I want you to cut the deck two times. Good. Now, shuffle the cards, keeping your mind blank, and stop when it feels right.”

Sacha nods and gingerly begins to shuffle them respectfully.

After a minute she stops. Sabrina takes the cards from her, spreads them into a fan, and holds them out. “Pick the three cards that call to you. We are going to do a simple Past, Present, and Future.”

Sacha carefully picks a card off the end, one in the middle, and one to the far right.

Sabrina places them down.

“This will tell us about your past.” She flips the card over to reveal a card with Gabriel blowing his trumpet, and two people standing under him. “The judgment card. In your past, you had a lot of self-doubts. You tried to make yourself fit into a mold you knew wasn’t meant for you. You were out of tune with who you were.” Sabrina turns the card in the center. A hooded Skelton greets us with a grim smile. “Death. The beginning of a cycle is starting. You’ve renewed your spirit and healed long-standing wounds. You know who you are now, and how to play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses. The universe has been watching you blossom.” The final card is the lovers. Two couples embrace passionately. Sabrina grins. “The Lovers. I see a very powerful union in your future. It will frighten you at first, but trust in the universe and your strength.”

Sacha nods. She turns to me, beaming. “Looks like I’ll be getting a romance of my own soon.” Her eyes are dark diamonds in her face as they sparkle merrily under the lamp light.

“You next.”

I eye the cards nervously.

“No cards I think. Perhaps something a bit more traditional for you.”

She rummages in her purple satchel and comes out with a rectangular length of animal hide. She smooths the supple skin over her tablecloth and reaches back in to produce a red velvet bag. The contents clack together as she moves them about. They call to me.

“Yes, this is a much better fit isn’t it, my dove?”

I stare at her, stunned. She winks. “It’s been a long time since I have thrown the bones. Let’s see if they’ll cooperate. They have a lot to say to you tonight.” She lifts the bag and begins to shake. I feel like the fabrics of fate are rubbing together. She drops bones, shells, trinkets, and curios on to the mat. I swallow to moisten my dry mouth. A golden joker face stands out. She lifts it up. “There’s a trickster on the loose. He hides behind many faces and brings a great danger.” She shudders. “You have to be careful here.” She moves on to a small sterling silver figure. “The swan represents royalty. I think for you, that is self-explanatory, but if you look right beside it, you’ll find this bone which represents the masculine. You’ll rule alongside a loyal partner. Don’t doubt what he would do for you.” It’s like she listened in to our previous conversation. The weight should be lifting, but instead, I feel tossed about on a raft by the universe. “Beside that, you can see a crown, but it’s upside down. You’re conflicted. If you want to be successful, you need to find balance within yourself. Like the canine tooth, which is both dark and light. Each of us has the capacity to do good and evil. Duality is the natural way of things. Its center in this reading, so it’s very important you remember that. The bones have had their say,” she says quietly.

“Thank you, Sabrina” I reach over and squeeze her hand. There are many who feign having the gift, but she is not one of them. We leave the table after tipping her, and I muddle over the things she said.

“Do you feel better?” Sacha asks.

“I’m not sure what I feel. I think fate pretty much told me to sit my ass down, though?”